Del Hilliard Bronze Memorial
Paula,
Del arrived safely. Absolutely beautiful and very very touching....
He is back home. I owe so much too you....
~ Bob Hilliard
"I'm Catherine, Bob's wife. We just looked at the pictures of Del's sculpture and we were speechless. It is phenomenal and we can only imagine what it will look like in bronze.
Thanks for sharing and for your incredible work."
~ Catherine Hilliard
Del Hilliard suffered from Muscular Dystrophy but he did not let that stop him from getting the most out of life. He was actively engaged in several sports including the Special Olympics and the Torch Run—winning many trophies. Del was also a very loyal fan of the Hooks minor league baseball team. He was such a regular at the Whataburger Field Stadium games that everyone recognized and knew him by name.
Bob Hilliard, a prominent Texas attorney, contacted Slater after his brother Del passed away to commission a life size full-figure sculpture of Del. The Hilliard family supplied Slater with many photographs of Del from which to work and was so pleased with the completed portrait that they ordered two bronze castings.
The first bronze casting was installed at the Hilliard Home in Corpus Christie and the second casting of Del’s bronze portrait was installed upon a granite base at Whataburger Field Baseball Stadium. The unveiling and dedication of his bronze statue was attended by many people who knew him as a regular at the stadium and by his many friends and loving family.